STUDENT TEACHING AND INTERNSHIPS

The Board, recognizing both its responsibility to improve the quality of teacher training and the contribution that student teachers and interns can make to the school system, encourages the administration to cooperate with teacher-training institutions in the placement of student teachers in the public schools.

The importance of the teacher-training function to the future of education and the need to assure a high quality of performance in our schools demands that student teachers be placed only with the best teachers. Therefore, teachers allowed to accept the added responsibility of training student teachers must be superior. Because they continue their primary responsibility—the education of the children in their charge—their commitment is doubled. These teachers must have demonstrated to their Principals a capacity and willingness to meet these additional demands.

No teacher shall be requested to act as supervisory teacher more than twice in any school year when other qualified supervisory teachers are available.

Further recognizing the special skills and expertise of the teacher-preparation institution and its staff, the Board authorizes the administration to honor the reasonable rules, regulations and training guidelines of the sending institution.

In all arrangements made with preparation institutions, the school system shall be given the privilege of interviewing and accepting or rejecting individual candidates for student teaching and internships.

The school administration shall devise procedures for evaluating the performance of student teachers and interns which meet with requirements of the sending institution and fit with the Board’s policies.

Legal Reference: 20-A MRSA § 1001

Adopted: February 28, 1994

Revised: February 24, 2020